DreamScape Design, LLC

Painting Tips

When choosing colors for a room, you can get inspiration
from color combinations around your home such as
decorative dishes, favorite clothing, pictures, etc.

After taking the lid of a new can of paint, punch a small hole
on the inside rim using a hammer And nail. This will allow
any excess paint to drip back into the container and keep
the lid clean.

When considering a textured surface for your walls, make
sure your planning on keeping it long term. Textured
surfaces can be hard to remove or cover.

Mark the lid of the paint can with the location the paint was
used (i.e.: 1st fl. kitchen).

Keep the paint can lids, which either contains the color
formula or the actual color, in case you decide to reorder at
a later time.

It is better to purchase a color, instead of mixing it yourself.
Although mixing may be creative, you may not be able to
recreate it if you need to make any touch ups at a later time.

Remove the painter's tape while the paint is still wet. If doing
a large area, go back and remove the tape before
completing the entire job. If you wait until it dries, you can
pull paint off along with the tape.

Don't forget to paint your outlets and switch covers. Why ruin
the look of your newly painted room by having switch covers
that stand out? Remove outlet covers before painting the
walls. Lightly sand the covers to remove their shiny finish.
Apply the color of the walls. When completely dry, add a
clear varnish to protect from scratches. You're ready to put
them in place. What a difference a small touch can make!

Instead of the typical place mat, have one painted instead.
This can be done indoors or outdoors, as area rugs or
doormats for porches or breezeways. Customize the color
and design combinations. Call us for more details.

Planting Tips

Mark your shovel with inches and feet to eliminate the need
for additional measuring tools when digging.

As a decorative hose guide, place a terra cotta pot on the
ground and drive a stake into the center hole of the pot to
secure it. Add a plant and soil to the pot as usual.
Ornamental and practical.

It is better to mow wet grass than waiting for dry grass that
it too tall. Make sure the blades are sharp, and set the
mower higher.

Plan your foundation gardens with plants that compliment
your house or trim color. Re-painting your home? Choose
a house color that will compliment an existing garden.

When applying mulch to your garden, don't suffocate your
plants. Leave space around the base of the plants to allow
for air flow, and for water to drain through to the roots.
Burying plants under too much mulch will create a moist
environment for the base and increase the potential for
disease.

Keep your clippers and pruning shears clean and sharp.
Jagged cuts or taers take longer to heal, leaving the plants
scarred or exposed to disease.

How do you make your roses grow healthier? Tear apart a
banana peel and place hem just under the surface of the
soil, at the base of the plant. Cover with soil, and let nature
do the rest. This can be repeated from spring through
summer.

Tired of chasing that roll of twine? Put the twine inside a
terra cotta pot, threading the end through the hole at the
bottom of the pot. Place the pot upside down on the
ground, and pull the twine though as you need it.

To help keep bugs away from your plants, bury a thickly
sliced potato in the soil. Place a stick through the potato
soo you can replace it later. Check back in a week any
you'll be amazed at the bugs and how much they ate!

Mice ands moles disslike chili powder and cats and dogs
will stop digging. The down side is that it will wash away
when it rains.

Find some poison ivy? Place a plastic bread bag over your
arm. Grab the ivy slowly, not to splatter the oils from the
leaves. Then pull the bag over your hand, leving the ivy in
the bag.

Spray your trimmer with vegetable oil.

Save time on watering. Poke several small holes at the
bottom of a 1-gallon jug, and bury it in the soil with the top
slightly exposed. Remove the cap, fill the jug with a garden
hose, and replace cap. Thw water will slowly drain into the
ground long after you've walked away.

Use your car to dry herbs. Put herbs on newspaper placed
on the seat of your car. When in the sun, the heat in the car
will dry the herbs and leave your car smelling great.